Conditioning-yarn bobbin



Aug. 29, 1939. R. B. SMITH 1,

" v CONDITIONING-YARN BOBBIN Filed 001;. 15, 1938 s Sheets-Sheet 1 W 1 W M I H' M0441 @6 rem Aug. 29, 1939. R. B. SMITH CONDITIONING-YARN BOBBIN Filed Oct. 15, 1938 I 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. 29, 1939.

R. B. SMITH CONDITIONING-YARN BOBBIN Filed Oct. 15, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 2| wu wwbom MBA-RT 8.601171],

Patented Aug. 29, 1939 PATENT OFFlCl-I coanmoame-rm nouns Robert Bigham Smith,

Frank G. North, 1110., tion of Georgia Application October 15,

16 Claim This invention relates to the method of and apparatus for conditioning yarn wound on bobbins, quills, cops, spools and the like preparatory to the subsequent manufacturing steps to which 5 the yarns are subjected.

It is the object of the present invention to obtaina rapid and certain conditioning treatment of yarn materials to derive a uniform end product. i

Another object of the present invention is to provide a machine for conditioning yarn which is rugged and compact in design, of relatively few moving parts and portable in nature. The machine in accordance with thepresent invention is economical to produce Another object of the invention is to provide a circuit continuously circulating a conditioning fluid, a portion of the circuit comprising an inclined rotary drum which performs the double function of feeding the bobbins along a path where they are exposed to a-spray of the fluid and of collecting and conserving the excess fluid not absorbed by the bobbins.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a machine which requires a minimum amount of attention by an attendant in the course of its operation, and which nevertheless is capable of high output capacities, delivering a product characterized by a high degree of uniformity.

The present invention proceeds upon the principle of conditioning yarn wound upon bobbins, spools and the like, by spraying them with a conditioning liquid in the course of their travel as through a rotary drum conveyor, the longitudinal axis of the rotary drum conveyor being preferably inclined to the horizontal less than the normal angle of repose of the bobbins in the drum conveyor in its stationary condition,

whereby the gravitational component of the bobbins resting in the drum is insuflicient to move them downwardly along the drum from the higher end to the lower end thereof. However, the rotary movement of the drum acts to disturb the frictional contact between the bobbins and the bottom of the drum conveyor, in order to effectuate a movement of thebobbins longitudinally of the drum and under the spray, and cause a tumbling motion of the bobbins. Additional guiding elements may be provided on the interior of the drum, in order to induce the advance of the bobbins therealong, and in addition to vary the positioning thereof on the bottom of the drum, in order to expose all of the parts thereof to the spray of conditioning liquid. A uniform and is easily installed.

Atlanta.Giana-Ignaciov Gasaoorponms, Serial No. 235.27:

(01. zs-so) treatment of the several bobbins in the course of the e thereof through the drinn is attained by the above expedients.

A machine in accordance with the invention is characterised by the marked economy in operation by virtue of the fact that no splashing or waste of the conditioning liquid occurs. Whatever liquid is not absorbed by the bobbins is returned to a storage tank constituting part of a self-contained'installation where the same is 10 filtered and is prepared for re-circulation through the conditioning system.

Other objects and purposes will appear from the more detailed descriptionof the invention following hereinafter taken in conjunction with 15 the accompanying drawings wherein- Figure 1 is a front elevation of the machine in accordance with the present invention;-

Flgure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of Figure 1; I v

Figure 3 is a right end view of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view along the line 1-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view of a different embodiment of the rotary drum con- 25 veyor, and

Figure 6 is a front-elevation of the embodiment of the drum conveyor illustrated in Figure 5.

In Figure 1 is shown the yarn conditioning machine constituting a unitary assembly which 30 is mounted upon a frame I consisting principally of steel angle bars I bridged by bars 2 inclined slightly to the horizontal at the upper 'ends thereof. A rotary drum conveyor 3 is arranged for rotary movement at the upper end of the frame which may be actuated by an electric motor 'll mounted upon a motor support la attached to the frame I. The motor drive is carried through a speed reducer II to a driving pulley II, which is of a fractional diameter of 40 that of the rotary drum. A transmission belt 6 engages the pulley l2 and a ring 5 on the outside of the rotary drum, at substantially the longitudinal median thereof, whereby rotation is imparted to the rotary drum 3 at a relatively 45 slow speed. The rotary drum is supported on the frame by rollers 1 and 1a on one side of the ver-. tical median of the drum and by rollers I and la upon the other side of the vertical median of the drum. The rollers I and I engage a track 50 8 upon one end of the drum and the rollers 10 and la engage a track ll upon the other end of the drum. The rollers 1 and la are mounted upon a shaft 8 fixed within brackets mounted on the bar 2 on one side of the frame and the rollers I6 I and 1a are disposed upon a shaft 9 fixed within brackets mounted on the bar 2 on the other side of the frame.

A guide chute l5, supported upon the bracket l5 attached to the frame I, serves the purpose of introducing the bobbins into the higher end of the rotary drum 3. The guide chute I! may be curved to conform to the curvature of the drum.

The rotary drum 3 is inclined to the horizontal at a predetermined angle, which may be arranged to be adjustable if desired, which is 1% than the normal angle of repose of the bobbins which are introduced into the drum when the conveyor is in its stationary condition. The rotation of the drum serves to unbalance the frictional contact between the drum and the bobbins to cause them to advance from the left of the drum to the right, as shown in Figure 2. Thus the inclination of the drum is such that the bobbins will not slide in the drum of their own accord, but will move therethrough when the drum is rotated.

The yarn bobbins are subjected to one or more sprays of conditioning liquid emanating from the spray nozzles 4| connected -to a conduit 4|! extending longitudinally of the rotary drum conveyor near the upper end or ceiling thereof. The spray heads of the nozzles may be easily and quickly regulated in order to obtain the proper operation. As shown in the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the conduit Ill may be attached to a supporting frame 43 at one end of the machine, and may be attached to the fixed collar portion It at the other end of the machine by a bolt and nut connection, as shown at 42.

The rotary movement of the driven conveyor gives rise to a movement of the bobbins along the drum and to a change in the positioning thereof. Furthermore, the resting positions of the bobbins at the bottom of the conveyor may be varied by a series of projecting ribs 28 :which are preferably set along helical or spiral lines on the interior surface of the conveyor, in order to induce the movement of the bobbins towards the outlet end of the drum. Thereby diiferent portions of the bobbins are exposed to the action of the conditioning liquid.

The interior of the drum is preferably lined with a series of longitudinal corrugations 2| which tend to produce a uniformly conditioned product. The corrugations support the bobbins at the bottom of the drum conveyor, so that they do not rest in a pool of the conditioning liquid, but all are exposed to the same spraying treatment. The conditioning liquid drains down the channels of the corrugations into the grill I Go mounted upon the fixed collar l6 and is guided through the passage 3| to the storage tank 30 mounted at the lower end of the frame. Whatever conditioning liquid is carried in the cor rugations as the same rotate to the upper positions, are caught by a series of channels 24 of substantially semi-circular configuration. The liquid caught by these channels are carried to headers 25 joining them, which in turn have conduits 26 with outlets 21 terminating adjacent the grill l6a for discharging the conditioning liquid. The grill lGa in the frame portion l6 serves to guide the treated bobbins B into a truck T placed at the end of the machine to receive them, while the co ditioning liquid passes into the tank 30 for filtering and re-utilization in the system.

The collar portion ii of the frame is attached to the main frame i, and is provided with a depending flange 46 which co-operates with a flange extending from the end of the rotary drum, but which is displaced therefrom, in order to permit a smooth rotation of the latter, while preventing any splashing and waste of the conditioning liquid.

The conditioning liquid L, in the'tank 3|, may be kept at any desired level and additional liquid may be added to the tank from time to time as desired. A circulating pump 33 is mounted at the lower end of the frame which may be driven by an electric motor. Suction conduit 32 extends from the bottom of the tank to the inlet side of the circulating pump and the outlet side of the circulating pump is connected to a filter 34 wherefrom it passes to the vertically extending conduit 35 leading to the spray conduit 4| which is fixedly mounted adjacent the top of the rotary drum on the inside thereof. A filter drum 32 of burlap or other suitable material is disposed within the storage tank, in order to filter the foreign materials from the conditioning liquid which is being re-used. If any particles should not be separated from the liquid, the same are trapped by the filter 34 in conduit 35, in order that clean liquid will be sprayed and that the spray nozzles 4! will not become clogged.

In Figures 5 and 6 there is shown an embodiment of the invention, wherein the inner surface of the conveyor drum is smooth, and the forward advance of the bobbins is induced by a spirally arranged rib 58 on the inside of the drum. The tumbler elements 59 may be provided on the inside of the drum to supplement the agitating action of therib 58, in .order to vary the lay or positioning of the bobbins in the course of their travel through the drum. The drum conveyor may be utilized to attain the desired ends by the use of either the guiding rib or the tumblerelements to the exclusion of the other, or conditions of service may arise in which it is desirable to omit these elements from the drum.

It is understood that the invention disclosed herein is capable of modification and change by those skilled in the art. .Such changes are comprehended within the scope of the invention as defined in the annexed claims.

What I claim is:

1. In an apparatus for conditioning bobbins of yarn and the like, a circuit adapted to continuously circulate conditioning fluid; said circuit including a spray head for spraying said fluid and an inclined rotary drum adapted to convey bobbins therethrough and to collect fluid sprayed 4 thereon by said spray head.

2. In a yarn conditioning apparatus for bobbins wound with yarn, a rotary cylindrical drum conveyor having its longitudinal axis inclined to the horizontal at an acute angle less than the normal angle of repose of the bobbins in the conveyor in its stationary condition, means for introducing the bobbins into the higher end of the drum conveyor, means for rotating said drum for disturbing the frictional contact between the bobbins and the inside surface of said drum to eflfect a movement of said bobbins along the drum conveyor towards the lower end thereof, and means for spraying a conditioning fluid on said bobbins in the course of movement thereof through said drum conveyor.

3. In a yarn conditioning apparatusv for bobbins wound with yarn, a rotary cylindrical drum conveyor having its longitudinal axis inclined to the horizontal at an acute angle less than the normal angle of repose of the bobbins in the conveyor in its stationary condition, means for introducing the bobbins into the higher end of the drum, means for rotating said drum for disturbing the frictional contact between the bobbins and the inside surface of said drum to effect a movement of said bobbins along the floor of said conveyor towards the lower end thereof, a spray nozzle mounted near the ceiling of said conveyor for directing a spray of conditioning fluid onto said bobbins in the course of movement thereof through said drum conveyor, and projecting means on the interior of said drum for supplementally disturbing the positioning of the bobbins in the conveyor in order to facilitate the desired movement thereof.

4. The combination set forth in claim 3 wherein said last-mentioned projecting means comprises a plurality of spaced upstanding flange elements disposed along at least one spiral line on the interior of the drum conveyor for inducing a movement to the bobbins longitudinally of the conveyor while disturbing the resting surfaces thereof.

5. The combination set forth in claim 3 wherein said last-mentioned projecting means comprises a spiral guide mounted upon the interior of the drum conveyor for inducing a movement of the bobbins longitudinally of the conveyor while disturbing the resting surfaces thereof.

6. The combination set forth in claim 3 wherein said last-mentioned projecting means comprises a spiral guide mounted upon the interior of the drum conveyor for inducing a movement of the bobbins longitudinally of the conveyor while disturbing the resting surfaces thereof, and additional tumbler ribs spaced longitudinally and circumferentially on the inside surface of said drum for supplementing the agitating function of said spiral guide.

7. The combination set forth in claim 3 wherein said last-mentioned projecting means comprises tumbler ribs spaced longitudinally and circumferentially on the inside surface of said drum for disturbing the resting surfaces of the bobbins.

8. In a yarn conditioning apparatus for bobbins wound with yarn, a rotary cylindrical drum conveyor having its longitudinal axis inclined to the horizontal at an acute angle less than the normal angle of repose of the bobbins in the conveyor in its stationary condition, said drum having the interior thereof formed with a plurality of corrugations extending longitudinally thereof adapted to support the bobbins thereon, means for introducing the bobbins into the higher end of the drum in a mixed state, means for rotating said drum for disturbing the frictional contact between the bobbins and the inside surface of said drums to effect a movement of said bobbins along the floor of said conveyor towards the lower end thereof, means for spraying a conditioning fluid on said bobbins in the course of movement thereof through said drum conveyor, and means for guiding away the treated bobbins from the lower end of said drum.

9. In a yarn conditioning apparatus for bobbins wound with yarn, a rotary cylindrical drum con veyor having its longitudinal axis inclined to the horizontal at an acute angle less than the normal angle of repose of the bobbins in the conveyor in its stationary condition, said drum having the interior thereof formed with a plurality of cormgations extending longitudinally thereof adapted to support the bobbins thereon, means for introducing the bobbins into the higher end of the drum in a mixed state, meansfor rotating said drum for disturbing the frictional contact between the bobbins and the inside surface of said drums to effect a movement of said bobbins along the floor of said conveyor towards the lower end thereof, means for spraying a conditioning fluid on said bobbins in the course of movement thereof through said drum conveyor, means for guiding away in separate paths the treated bobbins from the lower end of the drum and the excess conditioning liquid-issuing from the grooves of said corrugations, comprising a guiding screen plate adjacent the floor of the lower end of said conveyor, a segmental catch basin adjacent the top of the conveyor at the lower end thereof, and conduits extending therefrom to said screen plate.

10. The combination set forth' in claim 9 wherein said segmental catch basin is composed of a plurality of substantially semi-circular channels facing the corrugations to catch the drippings of conditioning fluid therefrom, and headers joining the ends of said channels to which ends of said conduits are connected.

11. In an apparatus of the class described, an inclined rotary cylindrical drum, means for rotating said drum, means for introducing yarn bobbins into the higher end of said drum, spraying means disposed within said drum for discharging a conditioning fluid onto said bobbins as they travel therethrough, and means for guiding away the treated bobbins from the lower end of said drum.

12. In-an apparatus of the class described, an inclined rotary cylindrical drum, means for rotating said drum, means for introducing yarn bobbins into the higher end of said drum, spraying means disposed within said drum for discharging a conditioning fluid onto said bobbins as they travel therethrough, means on the inner surface of said drum for upsetting the lay of the bobbins in the course of their travel therethrough, and means for guiding away the treated bobbins from the lower end of said drum.

13. In an apparatus of the class described, an inclined rotary cylindrical drum, means for rotating said drum, means for introducing yarn bobbins into the higher end of said drum, spraying means disposed within said drum for discharging a conditioning fluid onto said bobbins as they travel therethrough, means on the inner surface of said drum for varying the positioning of the bobbins in the course of their travel and move them under the spray and expose all sides to the spray, 'and means for guiding away the treated bobbins from the lower end of the drum for collection and the excess conditioning fluid not absorbed by the bobbins for repeated utilizaion.

14. In an apparatus of the class described, an inclined rotary cylindrical drum, means for rotating said drum, means for introducing yarn bobbins into the higher end of said drum, a spraying nozzle disposed within said drum for discharging a conditioning fluid onto. said bobbins as they travel therethrough, a forced circulating system connected to said spraying nozzle, comprising a storage tank for the conditioning fluid,

a circulating pump having an inlet and an outlet, a. suction conduit connected between the storage tank and the inlet of the circulating pump, a pressure conduit connected between the outlet of the circulating pump and the spraying nozzle, means for guiding away the treated bobbins from the lower end of said drum, and means for conducting the excess conditioning fluid issuing from said drum to the storage tank therefor.

15. In a yarn bobbin conditioning machine, an

inclined rotary cylindrical drum conveyor, a supporting frame for said drum,- roller bearings for said drum mounted in said frame upon opposite sides of the vertical median, below the horizontal median and near the opposite ends of said drum, electrically actuated means for rotating said drum, a guiding memberattached to said frame and extending into said rotary drum at the higher end thereof for introducing the yarn bobbins thereinto, spraying means disposed within said drum for discharging under pressure a conditioning liquid onto said bobbins as they travel therethrough, and means attached to said frame at the lower end of'said drum for guiding away the treated bobbins therefrom.

16. In a yarn bobbin conditioning machine, an inclined rotary cylindrical drum conveyor, a sup-' porting frame for said drum, roller bearings for said drum mounted in said frame upon opposite sides of the vertical median, below the horizontal median and near the opposite ends of said drum,

actuating means for said drum in engagement therewith at substantially the longitudinal median thereof, an electric motor driving assembly mounted on said frame below said drum for oper ating said actuating means, a guiding member attached to said frame and extending into said rotary drum at the higher end thereof'for introducing the yarn bobbins 'thereinto, spraying means disposed within said drum for discharging 7 

